John Baeder (b. 1938)
Col. Poole's Pig Hill of Fame
1995
Oil on canvas
44 x 66 inches
Purchase made possible by The Passailaigue Acquisitions Fund; 2002.038

John Baeder's painting celebrates the real life roadside restaurant Col. Poole's Bar-B-Q of East Ellijay, Georgia. Featured in the work in addition to the barbecue shack is the pig-Moby-il or pig mobile, and the Pig Hill of Fame that overlooks the restaurant. The hill is covered with over 3,000 red, yellow, white, and blue plywood pigs, each of which bears the name of a customer.

Anyone could have driven to Col. Poole's Bar-B-Q, taken a photograph, and the result, if taken from the same angle, would have been similar to the painting. This description loosely helps to categorize the painting as belonging to the tradition of photorealism. John Baeder, one of the most well known of the photorealists, is best known for his scenes of American diners.